Winning City and Special Mentions

Winning City and Special Mentions

The EU Cities for Fair and Ethical Trade Award recognises cities that have implemented outstanding projects, programmes, policies and practices to facilitate fair and ethical trade.

All cities competed for the same title of "EU City for Fair and Ethical Trade 2019" (since the Award Winner will hold the title from June 2018 until the next edition of the Award in 2020).

​While there will be one overall Award ‘Winner’ several 'Special Mention’ awards for other recognised performers in four categories. All of the shortlisted cities, along with the Award Winner, will be invited to partake in the Sustainable Cities Networking events in 2019 aimed at creating linkages and disseminating best practices in fair and ethical trade.

The number and specific title of the Special Mention categories were confirmed during the Evaluation Process, based on the review of the applications done by the Evaluation Committee and the Jury.

Ghent: ​EU City for Fair and Ethical Trade of 2019

'Making the greatest impact through fair and ethical trade requires all-encompassing efforts that involve consumers, businesses, and the international community. This champion of fair and ethical trade actively engages its community through events and multi-stakeholder platforms to spread awareness, collaborates across borders to exchange best practices, and develops and disseminates tools to support businesses in improving their sustainable value chains. Moreover, these efforts are all rooted in a long-standing tradition of fair and ethical trade that not only connects to the city’s past as an import hub but also sets a clear vision in line with the Agenda 2030. Ladies and Gentlemen, the first EU City for Fair and Ethical Trade is…. Ghent!'​- Cecilia Malmström, European Commissioner for Trade 27 June 2018 - Brussels, Belgium

Lyon: ​​Special Mention for Innovation

'One of the goals of the EU Cities for Fair and Ethical Trade Award is to highlight new and innovative practices to help improve our understanding and uptake of sustainable trade. Our first Special Mention winner – in the Innovation category – is a city that has gone above and beyond to develop a monitoring and evaluation system to measure progress in implementing sustainability protocols. The city also created its own fair and sustainable trade label, adopted by over 230 businesses and organizations already…if you haven’t guessed it yet: The Special Mention for Innovation goes to... Lyon!'

Dortmund:​Special Mention for Education and Community Participation

'Engaging the community, especially youth, is key to fostering a culture and future where fair and ethical trade is the norm. In addition to engaging businesses and civil society through large-scale fair and ethical trade awareness events and multi-stakeholder platforms, this city supports the next generation of sustainable consumers through Fair Trade kindergarten certification across more than 100 schools. The Special Mention for Education and Community Participation goes to… ​​Dortmund!'

Madrid: Special Mention for Global Partnerships

'Global partnerships are the binding force and an essential catalyst to sustainable trade and development. Building on a strong public effort to increase sustainability through procurement and public engagement, this city also works with a large network of cities across the Latin America to spread awareness and uptake of fair and ethical trade practices. The Special Mention for Global Partnerships goes to… Madrid!'

Saarbrücken:Special Mention for Inspiring Procurement Practice

'Public procurement is, perhaps, one of the clearest and most direct ways that cities can commit to fair and ethical trade. This city implements an extensive sustainable public procurement policy respecting ILO conventions and involving city staff training, which can serve as inspiration to others. The Special Mention for Inspiring Procurement Practice goes to... Saarbrücken!'